Animula Privo
by Jessi - Princess of Impatience
Summary: Hermione discovers a letter in an unlikely place that completely changes all of the beliefs she once held. WIP.H, Ch3 up 7.30.05, canon compliant through HBP.
1. The Letter

**This story is canon compliant with Book Six. This means SPOILERS OF THE MOST SPOILERISH NATURE! You have been warned, so I suggest if you haven't read HBP and don't want to be spoiled, you back away now and come back when you've read the book. By the way, what exactly ARE you waiting for? Go, read it now!**

_A/N: Ok, here is the first of two fics I started right after reading HBP. At first, I despaired of ever being able to write canon fic again, but then I realized just what kind of yummy goodness I could get from it, so now the HBP-compliant plot bunnies are breeding happily. Besides, I like being one of the first to get to a plotline and this way I can be – at least, one of the first five with all the busy writers out there! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Harry Potter. The whole Potterverse belongs to the genius of J.K. Rowling, who is a goddess amongst writers. I seek to make no profit from this venture and I promise to return everything back the way I found it. _

_This story is canon compliant with Book Six. This is your last chance to run away from the spoilers!_

* * *

Animula Privo  
Story by Jessica Arbuckle (Jessi, Princess of Impatience)  
July 18 - undetermined, 2005 

**Chapter One, The Letter**

Hermione stood in the former quarters of Severus Snape, where none had set foot before this, except her. No one could get past the wards he had erected, except her, which she thought was odd, but she assumed he had made the wards personal and had just never considered including her.

What she knew she needed lay in these rooms somewhere and she had no qualms about using it. While he might be a traitor in the eyes of all that knew him, she was not sure how she felt. No matter how she felt, she needed the information and she would have used the Malfoy family if she had to. She shivered at the thought; glad she only needed an empty room and not the slimy likes of Lucius Malfoy or his supposedly reformed ferret son.

She moved to the desk, her gaze caught by an oddly glowing bit of parchment. As she picked it up, the soft orange glow turned blue and the seal cracked. Her curiosity piqued, she opened it and began to read the contents.

_Severus, _

_Each time I leave this castle, I know it may be the last time I shall see these walls. If you have found this, it means that I am now dead, either by your hand or through my own actions. _

_If it was by your hand, do not blame yourself. I am old and already weakened by my trials this year to stop Tom Riddle and I would rather know that my life saved both yours and Draco Malfoy's instead of perishing in the pursuit of the way to stop Tom once and for all. You will find out shortly what that pursuit involved. _

_If it was by my own actions, you will still be released from the vow, but you still must protect Draco. He can be saved, whether you believe it or not, but he will be in danger. Put him in hiding with his mother, his love for her will be the catalyst to save him. _

_Above all, make sure Harry Potter stays alive to defeat Tom. I know not how it will end, but I do know it will be by his hand that Tom Riddle will die, as he can die if you follow my instructions. It could be that the power of more than one boy may be needed after all of this, but I trust you will be able to help him once you show him the truth. _

_Should the person reading this note not be Severus, I can assume that my death was indeed at the hands of Severus Snape and he is not able to return to the castle. In that case, it is the only other person besides myself that may enter his quarters. _

_Hermione Granger, I hope you do not grieve too strongly for me, although with your kind heart, I am sure you do. You must set this aside, as you have an awesome task ahead of you. It is you who will know the truth and you must bring that truth to others. I believe you are equal to the task and I can only hope you find this soon in order to fix any damage that might have been done. _

_Severus Snape did not kill me out of any allegiance to Voldemort, he did it on my orders, either to save Draco Malfoy, who can still be redeemed, or to end my suffering from whatever ailed me by wards set to protect the items which I sought. _

_I trust that you, Hermione, will know what exactly Harry and I had been up to, but if this is Severus, you will not, so let me explain. _

_In short, Tom Riddle is only immortal as Voldemort due to objects known as Horcruxes. They are containers to a person's soul. Before this, it was unheard of that an individual would place a part of his or her soul in these containers and continue on with their lives, but Tom has. He had created five of them at his downfall and aspired to have six, thereby creating a seven-part soul - his soul being the last piece. _

_One was the ring I destroyed and you, Severus, helped me with the task of saving my own hand from that venture. Another was the diary, which Harry destroyed in his second year. On this night, I will seek out a third, a task from which I obviously never. It was a locket, Salazar Slytherin's locket. _

_Three Horcrux remain, (or four, if by some chance the locket was not found where we thought it would be), one of which we know and two we can only guess. The cup of Helga Hufflepuff I am sure is a Horcrux, as well as something of Ravenclaw's or something of Gryffindor's. For the last, Tom was one Horcrux short when he killed Harry, so he would have made sure to create it when he again had the power to do so and I believe it is the snake, Nagini. However, I have begun to suspect for quite some time, although I wish it were not true, that Tom may have inadvertently turned Harry into a Horcrux. I cannot confirm nor deny this and I cannot say if Tom knows what he has done. I am sure he does not or he would have taken certain actions in that regard. I leave this to you to determine if I am correct and discover a way to release the soul of Tom in Harry. _

_To aid your quest and to help restore faith in Severus, I have hidden and disguised my Pensive in my office so only you, Severus, you, Hermione, or Harry Potter may find and use it. In it is contained all memories I showed to Harry and all important memories of encounters between Severus and myself. They should prove to show that Severus is indeed a spy for the light and only did what I asked of him. Also use this letter, which is bewitched parchment on which only I may write, in order to support your case. The task will not be easy, but I know eventually all will know and accept the truth. _

_If this is Hermione, I know you are wondering why you would be the only other person to see this. Ask Severus and tell him I order him to tell you so. Well, perhaps you should not say that, he is probably quite fed up with my orders. I know I would be. But make him tell you, however you can. _

_If this is Severus, tell her. Life is far too short, even for witches and wizards. _

_Remember, love is a force of which Tom Riddle will never understand. Let all you meet, including yourselves, know this. If you remember nothing else I ever say, remember this. _

_And my dears, do not grieve, for I wish your feelings for me to not include your grief and pain. Remember the good and even the bad, for they will serve you well in the battles to come. _

_With loving regards to Severus, Hermione or the both of you, _

_Albus Dumbledore _

_P.S. In the event Severus Snape is dead, effectively releasing the wards to his chambers, and the person holding this letter is not Hermione, I do not know who you will be or what shape you will be in because, Merlin help us all, as he was truly our last chance. If your heart holds the will of the Light and not the Dark, you will be able to read this. Do what you will with the information, if it is of any help to you, seek out Harry Potter to use the Pensieve, and I sincerely hope you succeed. Never lose sight of the fact that love conquers all, even a wizard as powerful as Tom Marvollo Riddle, known to you as Lord Voldemort._

Hermione dropped the letter on the desk in shock. All along, she should have listened to her gut feeling! They had wasted months that could have been spent knowing the truth and using it to their advantage.

Pushing her regret aside, she paused for a moment to marvel at the fact she was part of the wards on this room, not a forgotten element. And most of all, Albus Dumbledore had known it. But why would she, of all people, be allowed to be here? This definitely deserved to be analyzed, but first, she had a task.

She would definitely seek out the Pensieve and see all it contained. She would not even have to take it with her or bring anyone to it, because at least she had done something in these last months that would finally prove useful. She would track Harry down and pound the truth into him, if necessary, and then she would find Severus Snape and apologize for not listening to her instincts and trusting him.

But first, she would find the answer to one Horcrux problem, the biggest one of all.

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_a/n: Please R/R, I would just adore it!_


	2. Surprises

_ A/N: Forgive me everyone, in my desire to get my story posted, I made a critical error of canon – I wrote it down wrong in my own notes! There are only supposed to be six Horcruxes, as far as Dumbledore was concerned (page 503, US hardback edition) – Voldemort being the last piece of soul to make seven. No one called me out on that, so I don't think it really made a big deal to you, but I need to fix it. _

I still believe Harry is one and Voldemort has no idea he did it (thereby making eight pieces of soul as I went and made in the original letter without explaining it), so I have fixed the letter to reflect this. It really did not change the rest of the story, as all events will still happen the same, but it made me look pretty darn silly to have left out the soul of Riddle, so go back and reread if you like, but I think you could get away with just continuing on without doing so, if you want. 

So, as penance for my mistake, I present to you a second chapter. Play nice with it, it is all you get for a few days, as I have other fics to give my attention to as well. And no more Dumbledore letters, I agree, he doesn't know when to… shut up. 

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Harry Potter. The whole Potterverse belongs to the genius of J.K. Rowling, who is a goddess amongst writers. I seek to make no profit from this venture and I promise to return everything back the way I found it. 

* * *

Animula Privo  
Story by Jessica Arbuckle (Jessi, Princess of Impatience)  
July 18 - undetermined, 2005

**Chapter Two, Surprises**

Hermione folded the letter where it lay on the desk and started forward in her search of his quarters. She walked first to the heavily loaded bookcase along one wall. She could have begun with his desk, but the call of that massive wall of books was too much to resist. There, she knew she would find the reference works she needed and mostly likely a great deal of Dark Arts books under enchantment. But first, she needed to be able to see them as they really were. 

"_Finite Incantatum_," she said, pointing at the bookcase. At first nothing happened, but she was not surprised. 

"Did you really think it would be that easy, Hermione Granger?" she muttered to herself as she reached out and touched the book closest to her. 

Yet, as she finished speaking, some of the books began to transform from their previous size, shape, color and even title and she saw one whole row of ancient-looking text appear in the row below the book she was currently touching. 

"This is just odd," she said aloud to the empty room. First, she could enter Severus Snape's chambers with very little effort or thought on her own part and now, a simple spell revealed books that should only be under the heaviest guard? There had to be more to it. 

"Think, Hermione, think! Why would you, of all people, be able to get in here and why would such a simple spell work?" she said in frustration, ignoring the fact talking to herself always made everyone think she had gone mental. No one would hear her and it helped her think. Right now, she needed all the help she could get. Searching her mind for answers to these questions, for several minutes she was quiet, until, suddenly, her brown eyes glowed in understanding. 

She had been touching the books and saying her name as she had touched them. Somehow, this bookcase was enchanted to recognize her! It was easy enough for him to do without her cooperation, as she was sure her riotous mane had shed more than one hair in one of his classes. All he need to was get it and use it as part of the incantation. Instead of a simple spell to end it, the enchantment was most likely still in effect. If anyone else could enter this room, they would still see the books she had first observed. 

Yet, why her, of all people? It was simple, once she finally allowed herself to think it. Contrary to his attitude, he had realized that if anyone would need the kind of information contained in his rooms, it would be the brains of what he had always scathingly referred to as the 'dream team.' Hermione did not feel conceited to think this, as it was only the truth. No other she had ever met was able to retain and recall the contents of books the way she could. 

"That has to be it," she murmured in a pleased tone. Whether he had intended to or not, he had given her the highest compliment she ever thought to receive, that he recognized her intelligence and trusted her with his most prized possessions. The twinge of guilt in her gut grew at the thought. Now she felt worse than before for not trusting him and even more stupid for waiting so long to go to his chambers. She should not have waited until she had desperately needed what his private collections might have offered to the cause, she should have come right away and gathered anything that might have been useful. 

"Research first, feelings later," she chastised herself. Fighting the desire to sit down and read every bit of the wealth of information currently in front of her, she instead skimmed the titles. 

"Lucky for me, he needs… well, needed, order as much as I do," she muttered, pleased that the books were separated by content using ornate metal dividers slipped between volumes. Such organization would make her task easier. Moving past sections on dark potions and their uses, care of dark herbs and plants and more, she stopped in front of a section containing what looked to be dark spell books, all with bits of parchments sticking out of them at odd angles. 

Turning her back on them for a moment, she surveyed the rest of the room. She needed space to work and she needed more than his desk, which she would not Transfigure until she had searched it. Looking towards the fireplace, she noticed a wide, low table in front of two high-backed chairs. She would just need to give it longer legs and it would do quite nicely. 

Pointing her wand at it, she moved it over so it was against the front of his desk. The minute it was in place, she muttered a modification charm to extend the legs of the table to bring it to the same height as the desk. With that done, she turned back to the bookcase and began removing the spell books from the shelf. 

------------------- 

Many hours later, Hermione had checked and double-checked the books and the notes in Severus Snape's cramped print that were tucked within the pages against her own notes. At last, she had created a spell she felt confident would work and had detailed why on a long piece of parchment. She knew she would need proof if she was to convince him that it would work. She knew Harry would believe her without long research notes, but her former professor would expect every last bit of documentation to do something this risky. She had given him no less in the neatly rolled parchment current sitting atop a pile of books. 

Now she was bent over one of his potion books, other open books and parchment spread around her on the desk and even on the floor, staring down at the solution to a problem raised by the creation of her spell. This potion was far too complicated for her to do alone, as it required two people for many of the elements and two highly skilled people at that. She would need Severus Snape, which meant they would be making a trip back here before they could end this war at last. 

Her research done, she stretched, easing the kinks in her neck and back before she rose from the chair. She would need to visit the Pensieve now, before she could go find Harry and then track down Severus Snape. She surveyed the chaos surrounding her and made a mental note to come back and clean it up before she brought anyone back. He would be furious to see the mess she had created. 

"At least he can't take house points," she said with a laugh. After she had cleaned, perhaps she would even get a chance to explore the rooms. She wanted to do so now, to learn what she could about the man she knew very little about, but that would have to wait. 

She picked up the letter from his desk, placing it in a pocket in her robes. She exited the main room of his quarters, erecting the simpler wards she had brought down before her entry and moved off at a fast pace in the direction of Dumbledore's former office. She felt the desire to hurry, now that she was so close to finally saving both Harry and her former professor. 

As she hurried, she considered her next task. It was dangerous, she knew, to go into a Pensieve with very little experience on how to control it. However, in her studies to develop her newest skills, she had learned that she would be able to control it as long as she remained calm and focused. Yet, even knowing that fact, she knew it still would not be a good idea to go alone unless she had someone who could bring her back. 

She reached the office in record time, pausing a moment to catch her breath. As Hermione raised her hand and knocked on the door, she hoped that the current inhabitant of the office would be the one to assist her. 

"Come in," said a muffled voice on the other side and Hermione entered, closing the door behind her. 

"Ah, Miss Granger, what can I do for you?" Minerva McGonagall said as she lifted her head to find Hermione. She gestured towards a chair in front of the desk. 

"Professor, I have come to save a man's reputation and another's life and I hope you will help me," Hermione said, sitting in the chair. She noticed an empty portrait frame behind the older woman and wondered briefly at it before Minerva spoke. 

"Hermione, what are you talking about?" Minerva asked, looking at the flushed girl before her in surprise. 

"I have come to save the reputation of Severus Snape, who is not a traitor but was under Professor Dumbledore's orders to do what he did. I am also going to save Harry's life, because he is a crucial piece of the way to defeat Voldemort," Hermione said. "I need you to be my anchor while I visit Dumbledore's Pensieve." 

Before Minerva could respond, they were interrupted. 

"Well done, Miss Granger, I had hoped you might ask for assistance from Minerva," a male voice said and Hermione jumped out of her chair, looking up to encounter the occupant of previously empty portrait. It was Albus Dumbledore, eyes twinkling as brightly as they had once done in life.

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_a/n: I almost died in happiness at all of the reviews. You all are so very kind and some of you quite hilarious. I am glad your faith in Severus was restored or reinforced though this fic, as I do believe what I have written. Although I do not have time now, I am setting up a page for reflecting over all the review love and I PROMISE I will work on it. Can't distract me from the writing, you know? _

Sharing the "pimpage" so to speak, for those of you interested in more fine stories about our beloved Severus and his not-so-evil ways in book six and beyond, check out Under the Bridge's c2 "Done My Duty" and do go read "On the Road I Have Taken" by Humanity74, it is simply addicting. You are looking at one of her die-hard readers. 

As always, please do R/R, I really do adore it! 


	3. The Portrait Knows

A/N: Holly Hannah, look at the reviews! I love you all so much it is practically indecent. I have never seen so much support for an idea and I am glad that my humble work will let you keep waving your Severus Snape flags with the pride they so richly deserve. Enjoy my newest offering!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Harry Potter. The whole Potterverse belongs to the genius of J.K. Rowling, who is a goddess amongst writers. I seek to make no profit from this venture and I promise to return everything back the way I found it.

* * *

Animula Privo  
Story by Jessica Arbuckle (Jessi, Princess of Impatience)  
July 18 - undetermined, 2005 

**Chapter Three, The Portrait Knows**

_"Well done, Miss Granger, I had hoped you might ask for assistance from Minerva," a male voice said and Hermione jumped out of her chair, looking up to encounter the occupant of previously empty portrait. It was Albus Dumbledore, eyes twinkling as brightly as they had once done in life._

"Though, it did take longer than I expected for you to come here for the Pensieve," Albus added, looking vaguely surprised. Minerva, who had just picked the letter Hermione had dropped on her desk, slowly turned to the portrait, the open look of absolute shock at Hermione's words replaced by irritation and what looked to be slowly burning anger.

"Headmaster?" Hermione said weakly, sinking back down in the chair. In her mind, she knew all Headmaster and Headmistress portraits resided in this office, but the sight of him before her was almost too shocking for Hermione, whose feeling over his loss were still fresh in her mind

"No longer, dear girl. You may call me Albus now, if you like," he said kindly, those eyes as gentle and understanding as the real man once was.

The older woman had just finished a quick scan of the contents of the letter. "She shall call you _dismantled_ in a moment!" Minerva cried, twin spots of red appearing on her cheekbones as she rose from her chair. "All this time, I thought you were just a personality and _partial_ memory copy of Albus Dumbledore, but you knew everything all along, didn't you? _Didn't you_?"

The man in the portrait nodded once and then flinched at the loud howl of outrage from the current Headmistress, which awoke several other portraits.

"Ah, she has finally figured it out," came a dry voice and Hermione turned to find a portrait of the man she recognized as Phineas Nigellus Black, a former Headmaster and relative of Harry's dead godfather Sirius. At that moment, he was looking down at them with ill-concealed amusement.

"Oh Albus, I would hate to be you right now," he said sleepily, closing his eyes again as he muttered, "Actually, I would hate to be you any time."

Hermione, who had looked back to Minerva, never before having witnessed the woman this openly angry, looked again to the portrait at his last remark. She could see, from her angle, that although he looked to be sleeping again, he was watching the scene before him with partially cracked eyes. She almost laughed, as Harry had once told her most of the portraits did that exact thing and she was sure most of them were doing it right now.

"You _knew_ about Severus and you did not _tell_ me?" Minerva said again, going to stand directly under the portrait, her body positively shaking in anger. "You let me think he betrayed us all, you let me rant and rage and… other things at you for months and all along you knew _every last detail_?"

The former headmaster had the grace to look penitent and almost a bit afraid of the highly enraged woman glaring up at him. "Minerva, my dear, you know I am but a carbon copy of Albus Dumbledore at the moment of his death. He had no wish to involve you in this and so I had to keep quiet. It was entirely up to Miss Granger to involve you."

"When, in your entire life, have you ever done anything because some one would _want_ you to?" the older witch raged, eyes flashing angrily as hands flexed convulsively, as if wishing to strangle something… or someone.

Hermione, having recovered from her shock at once again being confronted with Albus Dumbledore, even if it was a portrait, and then a highly charged Minerva McGonagall, quickly stood and moved closer to Minerva. Chocolate brown eyes were serious as they flicked back and forth between the current headmistress and the former headmaster, the latter who was looking more uncomfortable by the minute. Drawing on years of distracting her two best friends from potentially life-threatening arguments, she smoothly interrupted, shifting their focus to her.

"Please, Professors, I know this is really upsetting, but I need to go soon. I think Professor Snape has waited far long enough to be vindicated, don't you?" she asked, looking from Minerva to Albus with a calm beyond her eighteen years. Minerva just glared at the portrait, but did not continue. Hermione looked up at the image of Albus, which looked a bit relieved and thankful that she had interrupted.

"I need the Pensieve. You've probably disguised it, haven't you," she asked the portrait.

Albus simply smiled.

"I don't suppose you care to tell me how or with what?" she said and he looked off into the corner of his portrait, as if inspecting the frame for flaws.

"I figured as much," Hermione grumbled, looking around the room. "I'll bet it is an enchantment, like the books."

"Books?" Minerva said, looking for all the word as if she was desperately out of her realm of comfort, for one of the first times the one in the room who knew the least about what was going on.

"In Professor Snape's chambers," Hermione said absently, regarding the room with a critical eye.

"You were able to enter?" the older woman said, her face once again shocked, but her eyes assessing the young witch before her with an open interest. No one had been able to get past the wards to those rooms and would not be able to unless Severus Snape was dead.

"He's not…" Minerva began, a slowly growing horror on her face.

"Dead? No, Professor, he is not. I still had to remove some of the lesser wards to enter, just as you did before you came to one you could not pass," Hermione said, looking apologetic for doing something her respected professor and headmistress had not been able to do.

"Though, I don't know why I made it through the rest. I suspect it was because he knew I'd need his books to help Harry in some way," she said as she moved off to search the room in greater detail. The portrait of Albus gave her an odd look, one that if Hermione had seen, she would not have believed. It was the look a professor might have in the instance he was about to tell his most brilliant student that she was _wrong_ about the answer to a question in class, yet this former professor never uttered a word.

Minerva, however, caught the look but mistook it for something else entirely. "So you know about this too?" she asked the portrait sternly.

"Yes, Minerva, I do and before you ask, I cannot tell you anything about it," Albus said placidly.

"Please, _Professors_," Hermione said, whirling around, brown waves bouncing, "I need to find the Pensieve, I need to see what is inside, I need to tell the world and _I need to do it quickly_," she ended in agitation and then looked horrorstruck. That was how she spoke to friends, not professors and adults whom she respected. Fro a moment, Hermione Granger was as scared of punishment as she had been when she had disarmed Severus Snape in the Shrieking shack.

Albus simply looked serene at her words, eyes twinkling bright as stars. Minerva faced the girl before her, some of her anger relenting at the look on Hermione's face. She walked forward to stand before Hermione.

"Do you need me to go with you into the Pensieve, Miss Granger?" she asked, searching Hermione's face.

"No, but I do I need you to stay here and pull me out if it seems I've been in there too long," Hermione replied, her eyes serious as she looked up at Minerva

"I've been working very hard in my months of studies in Occlumency, which is apparently an enormous help when using Pensieve memories, but what I see might distract me enough that I won't be able to stay collected enough to come out." No one prior to this confession knew about this, except Harry, as Hermione has hoped the secrecy would serve a greater purpose in the end.

"You know Occlumency?" Minerva asked, looking faintly shocked. Albus simply smiled wider and gave her an exaggerated wink. Hermione grinned at the portrait and looked back at Minerva.

"Yes. I'm… quite good at both it and Legilimency, actually," she admitted, seeming almost shy about talking about her talents this way. "I knew it would be useful in some way, but I never imagined it would be to save Professor Snape's reputation. Besides, someone needed to help Harry, he still wasn't strong enough at Occlumency to face Voldemort."

"Well done, Hermione," Minerva said softly, placing her hand on Hermione's shoulder. Hermione could see the pride in her eyes and she let it wash over her for a moment before turning to regard the large assortment of odd and ends that Minerva had apparently never gotten rid of when she became Headmistress.

She spent several minutes wandering around, touching them, until a shiny chain caught her eye. There, amongst several objects she had never seen before and could not identify, was a Time Turner. She grabbed it and walked to the desk, moving aside the parchments Minerva had been reading. When she had cleared a space, she placed it on the desk and touched it with her wand.

"Hermione Granger," she said hesitantly. She was not sure if that was required, still wasn't sure that it had been required for the books, but she would be thorough.

The golden object and chain began to transform, stretching in shape until a shallow stone basin appeared, full of shiny silver threads. Hesitantly, Hermione swirled the contents.

"Please let there be some kind of message," she muttered and a figure began to appear above the bowl as she heard the portrait behind her chuckle.

"Miss Granger. I do hope you enjoyed the form I used as a disguise for the Pensieve, as I hoped it would be obvious what it really was. I have charmed the Pensieve to recognize you, but I bid hello to any who might also be listening. This Pensieve contains copies of all pertinent memories you will need. They are copies due to an ancient and difficult spell that few know. I will not detail it, as it is far too dangerous, but I used it so I would not be left without my memories in an important situation. I have ordered the memories by time, as I feel that would be most productive. Again, I wish you luck."

The ghostly image disappeared and Hermione turned to Minerva. "I'm ready." The portrait rustled and she looked up to find Albus beaming down at her.

"You will save the world yet, Hermione," he said softly and she smiled back at him, though she shook her head at the words. No, Hermione did not save the world, that was Harry's job and she knew it. But, she did save people, and she was going to do so again. She felt she owed her former professor that much and so much more, but did not stop to think about the odd feeling that thought produced.

"Do be careful, Miss Granger, and do not allow yourself to become too wrapped in the memories, or it will be extremely difficult for me to pull you free should I need to," Minerva cautioned as Hermione turned back to the bowl.

"I won't," she said, and moved to bend over the bowl. "Now, wish me luck!" she said cheerfully as she plunged her face into the swirling mists.

* * *

_ a/n: Alright, my lovely friends, I must ask a favor of you. I currently have two rough and unfinished versions of the next chapter, one that includes a walk down memory lane and one that does not. In the version where we get to see the contents of the Pensieve, most of the memories are glossed over, as they are things we have read in the books and do not need to rehash, but Hermione will see specific moments of Dumbledore's conversations with Severus in detail, namely how Severus came to him and why, possibly a few post-Voldemort meetings, arguments about the Cause, the big argument about Dumbledore's death and so forth. These facts will come out again in the story, so it is not necessary to the plot to see it, but it may add to it in some way I do not yet see. _

_I am simply asking for opinions as to what you would be interested in as my readers. Either way, the story continues, just one way is longer. I feel odd asking, as I have never done so before, but I think your opinions would help solidify my own intentions. So please, tell me! _

_And again, I am working on my page for reflecting over all the review love and I PROMISE I will work on it and recognize all of you, because your reviews mean the world to me. _

_Just a few things raised:  
Again, the letter was indeed wordy and expository, but I felt it was necessary. Remember, it is a part of the proof, though just a small part.  
I hope you enjoyed our new Albus ala portrait. Not the original, but still a nice substitute.  
Minerva was not given a chance to react in the last chapter because of Albus's interruption, but I hope her feelings are very clear now :)  
Also, do not lose hope in JKR, I truly believe she had a big bag of tricks still to come that will featured our favorite Professor in a much better light than many currently view him in.  
You think I should write novels? Oh, I just adore you. But I think I shall stay in fanfiction for now, I like the challenge of dealing with characters that already have minds of their own.  
Snape Haters – I am glad my story is intriguing you enough to stay. I hope by the end you will come to the NotsoEvil!Snape side with us -evil laugh-  
Severus's wards and spells – things are not as they seem here people. Be patient. However, Hermione is smart, of course she would know her hair would be useful and that he would have easy access to it. She's the smartest witch of her age, after all. _

_And Humanity74, because you are my "bestest" fanfic buddy, I shall mention you now due to an entirely unrelated review. One, if you feel compelled to tell me all about my fics in reviews that are not for THAT STORY, email me, it is in my profile! I've got stuff to say to you over "If I Could". :) Two, stop with the FREAKING SPORK OF DOOM! I swear, I'm going to get it from amish and use it on YOU if you don't stop going to all my fics and threatening me with it! Love you much, though. -grin- _

_As always, please do R/R, I really do adore it, if you couldn't tell!_


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